Piano



2 SheetS -Sheet l Ale. SULAK PIANO Filed Aughl, 192s Sept. 20,1927.

' 1643139 Sept. 20, 1927. A. G. SULAK PIANO Filed Au 1, 1923 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 11 1%? ,ww'zii wm 25M W A TORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

ANTON G. SULAK, or sEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PIANO.

Application filed August 1, 1923. Serial No. 654,966.

The present invention relates to structural improvements in pianos and in the redisposition of the several sound producing elements thereof in relation and with respect to each other, whereby a sweeter, richer, mellower, more varied and expressive tone is obtained therefrom substantially equal to the tone obtained from the best and highest grades of stringed instruments, which improved tone for pianos was heretofore and is unobtainable and unattainable from pianos now in use and in process of manufacture due primarily to the present mode of construction, combination, arrangement and disposition and the sound producing elements thereof, causing and producing the objectionable, unavoidable and undesirable metallic sounds heretofore so common inv pianos of all types and which seriously impair the tone thereof, but which have been substantially reduced to the irreducible minimum in pianos fabricated in accordance with the present invention.

\Vith the above and other ends in view my invention resides in disposing and locating the several bridges of the piano in a plane adjacent to and upon one side of the plane of contact or striking line of the action hammers on the strings thereof whereby the vibrations set up in said strings are transferred directly through said bridges to the sounding board, where heretofore in pianos of all types and classes the bridges thereof were disposed and located at the ends of the strings furthest removed from such plane of contact of the hammers with said strings, thus causing the vibrations set up in said strings to travel substantially the full length of the strings before reaching the bridges causing loss in volume and producing the objectionable and undesirable sounds due primarily and largely to the proximity and immediate nearness of the metallic string plate to the plane of contact of the hammers with the strings which in pianos now in use and in process of construction is uniformly closer to said plane of contact than the said bridges.

The invention further resides in the provision of a piano wherein the bridges-thereof are disposed on the tuning pin side of the plane of contact of the hammers and adjacent thereto, where heretofore said bridges metallic w ere disposed upon the opposite or hitch pin slde of the said plane vof contact andremotely therefrom which redisposition and rearrangement of parts of the present invention was found necessary and essential to produce and obtain the maximum resonance thereby amplifying the quality and volume .of tone of the piano. The invention furtherresides in the prov sion of a piano wherein the several bridges thereof are disposed remotely from the hitch pins of said piano, to thereby reduce the pressure or tension of the strings on the .said bridges, while also functioning to improve the quality and volume of toneof the piano, due to the greater distance between the bridges and the hitch pins, thus allowing for greater vibrition of the sounding I board. g

It iswell known that in order to obtain the maximum tonal. effects and results from stringed instruments such as violins, Violas, violoncellos and the like that the strings 'of such instruments must be played upon at a point adjacent to the bridges thereof and not at the finger boards. The vibrations set stringed instruments and in order to accomplish and attain these ends it has been found necessary and essential to embody the above principle in piano construction and dispose the bridges of said piano adjacent and in close proximity to the plane of contact or striking line of the action hammers with or on the strings thereof, whereas in pianos now in use and under construction such plane of contact or striking line of the hammers thereof are remote from the bridges, which principle is tantamount, identical and equivalent to playing a stringed instrument at the finger board thereof, with a consequent loss of volume and qualityvof tone With the foregoing in view the nvention resides in the novel construction, combination adaptation and arrangement of parts, aswill hereinafter be more fully described and succinctly defined vin the appended claims.

Referring'now to the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated the specific form of the invention, as present preferred:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a piano.

string plate and associated mechanism fab ricated in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in on a broken line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged. fragmentary View of a portion of the treble bridge and string plate illustrating the method of mounting the treble octave strings thereon.

Fig. i is a similar View of a portion of the bass bridge illustrating the method of mounting the base octave strings thereon, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the treble bridge illustrating the mode of attaching the same to the sounding board and the method of mounting the strings upon said bridge.

In the drawin 's similar reference charac ters designatesimilar parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 designates a metallic string or piano plate of any suitable design rigidly secured by lag screws 11 to a Wooden frame 12.

The wooden frame 12 comprises a laminated top rail or pin block 13, a bottom rail 14. rigidly connectedby side rails 15 and suitably reinforced by a plurality of brace members 16.

A sounding board 17 fabricated from suitable wood, such as pine, is rigidl r secured upon the forward side of the wooden frame 12 having a plurality ofopenings or slots 18 formed therein to permit of the sounding board vibrations rippling off into the air,

substantially as obtains in the violin and other stringed instruments. Similarly secured to the rear side of the wooden frame 12 in spaced relation to the sounding board 16 is a back board 19 of maple or other hard wood.

The numeral 20 designates the plane of contact or striking line of the hammers 21 of the piano and disposed immediately above the plane or line 20 is an a cuate bridge 22, for the treble and center octaves of said piano, having the outer end thereof disposed in close proximity to the plane 20 and having the inner end thereof curve upwardly therefrom. The bridge 22, is rigidly secured to the sounding board 17 by gluing the same thereon reiufor ed upon the rear side there of by wood screws 23. Similarly disposed above the plane 20 in spaced relation thereto and in substantial prolongation and spaced endwise relation to the bridge 22 is a. slightly hig ier arcuate bridge 24.- for the bass octaves of the piano, said bridge 24 is transverse section taken 10 constitutes the tuning pin block plate,

which in conjunction with the laminated top rail 13 receive and threadably retain a plurality'of tuning pins 26 upon which are wound the upper or outer ends of a plurality er treble octaves strings 27, a plurality of center octaves strings 28 and a plurality of bass octaves strings 29. The treble and central octaves strings 27 and 28 extend downwardly from their associated pins 26 and over the bridge 22 and around bridge points or 1 ins 30, rigidly secured therein, and extend downwardly therefrom and pass around dead points or pins 31 rigidly secured. in the metallic string plate 10 and thence downwardly around hitch pins similarly secured in said plate and thence upwardly around the dead points 31, the bridge points 30 back to the tuning pins 26. The bass octaves strings 29 extend downwardly from their associated pins 26 and pass over the bridge 24 and around bridge points or pins 33 rigidly secured therein and thence diagonally downward therefrom over the vibrating portions of the central octaves strings 28 and around dead points or pins 3a to hitch pins 35, to which they are fixedly secured.

' The strings 27, 28 and 29 are adapted to be rigidly clamped to their respective bridges 22 and 2% by metallic strips 36 having longitudinally disposed arcuate inner faces and are adapted to be superposed upon and seat said strings within arcuate depressions 3? formed longitudinally in the outer faces of said brid es, to thereby establish and main tain a positive contact between said strings and said bridges. The strips 36 are fixedly secured to' the bridges 22 and 2% by screws 38. The upper and lower edges of the bridges 22 and 24 are formed angularly, as shown in Fig. 5, to provide distinct a d positive edgeportions upon which the strings 27, 28 and 29 are adapted to rest.

Woven between the non-vibrating portions of the strings 27, 28 and 29, which portions lie between the tuning pins 26' and the bridges 22 and 24 and between the lower dead points 31 and 34 and the hitch pins 32 and 35, are a series of felt strips 39 designed to prevent and deaden such vibrations as maybe set up in said non-vibrating portions by the vibrating portions of the strings lying between the bridges 22 and 2% and the aforementioned dead points 31 and The sounding board 17 and the back board 19 in conjunction with the side rails 15 of the wooden frame 12 form a resonance compartinent 40, wherein the air is substantially enclosed or confined, whereby the sonority and tone volumeis materially intensified and V an'iplified, thus when the several piano strings are played upon vibrations are set up therein and are directly transmitted through the several bridges to the sounding board 17 and are condensed within the said resonance compartment by the air con-v fined or enclosed therein prior to rippling off into the. outer air through the openings 18 and intensifying the free vibration of said sounding board. In this way and in this form of construction, dissipation of sound is efi'ectually reduced, also the full value of r the tonal properties of the piano is obtained and created and such properties reach the ear unimpeded, and likewise the maximum resonance, power, depth and volume is soi cured fromthe piano.

.Manifestly in a iano having the several sound producing e ements thereof disposed and locatedin the manner shown and described the vibratory waves set up in the strings, when played upon, are transmitted directly to the sounding boardthrough the media ofthe bridges without loss of time and with the minimum of impedance, thereby enriching and mellowing the piano toneand rendering the same sweeter, more varied and expressive. Further, by hav ng the v1- bratory portions of the strings disposed between the bridges and the hitch pins, as

shown and described, the tension and pressure formerly imposed upon said strings is greatly relieved, thereby allowing the sounding board greater freedom to vibrate than heretofore obtained in pianos.

It is well known by those skilled in the art, that ten vibratory waves are set up in any string of a stringed instrument, when played upon, irregardless of the length of the string, the length of the waves being determined by the length of the string, and the pitch of the tone of the string being determined by the length of the waves. I have therefore found it expedient in practice, in order to achieve the object and end sought, and as hereinbefore set forth, to establish the plane of contact of the action hammers with the strings at one vibratory wave length, or one tenth the length of the strings, from the bridges aflixed to the sounding board.

lVhile I have herein shown and described my invention with sufiicient detail to enable those skilled in the art to understand the mode of construction and the principles involved, it is to be understood'that there is no intentional limitation herein to the specific form and precise details of construction of the invention shownand described, except as expressly defined by the appended claims, and that various modifications of said construction may be resorted to without departing from the invention or the benefits derivable therefrom. I also desire it to be understood that certain features of the invention herein shown and described may be employed in other combinations than those herein shown. I

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and'desiretosecure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is 1. In a piano, the .combination oft-he string plate, thestrings, the action hammers, the sounding board, and a bridge affixed to said sounding board in close proximity throughout the length. thereof to and upon the tuning pin side only of the plane-of contact of said action hammers with said strings. i

2. In a piano, the combination of the string plate, the strings, the action hammers, the sounding board, and abridge aifixed to said sounding board substantially midway of the vibratory portion thereof and upon the tuning pin side only .of the plane- 0f contact of. said action hammers with said: strings. 1 V i v 'c 8. In a piano, the combination of the string plate, the strings, the action hammers, the sounding board, and a bridge affixed to said sounding board in transverserelation thereon. and upon the tuning pin side only of the plane of contact of saidactionrhammers with said strings.

I. In a piano, the combination of the string plate, the strings, the action hammers,

with a sounding board curved outwardly in the general direction of the length of the same having the highest point of the curvature thereof substantially midway of the length, and a bridge affixed to said sounding board at said highest point and upon the tuning pin side only of the plane of contact of said action hammers with said strings.

5. In combination with a piano, of a string plate having a vibration deadening ridge formed upon the hitch pin end thereof, a sounding board associated therewith, a bridge alfixed to said sounding board, and strings attached at the ends thereof to the tuning and hitch pin ends of said string plate and extending therebetween across string plate, the strings, the action hammers,

the sounding board, and a string supporting bridge aifixed to said sounding board upon the tuning pin side of and at approximately one-tenth of the length of the vibratory portion of each of said strings from the plane of contact of said actionhainmers with said strings. V V

8. In combination with a piano, of a sounding board, a bridge for the trebleand central. octaves .afhxed to. said sounding board, and a bridge for the bass octaves affixed to said soundingboard .in spaced end Wise relation to said first named bridge.

9. In a piano, the combination of the string plate, the strings, the action hammers, the sounding board, and a plurality of bridges for the treble, central and bass octaves afiiX-ed to said sounding board in spaced endwise relation and upon the tuning pin side only of the plane of contact of said action hammers with said strings.

I 10. In a piano, in combination,v a string plate having treble, central and l ass octave strings attached thereto, action hammers associated with said strings, a sounding board associated With said string plate, abridge for saidltreble and centralioctave strings, and abridge for said bass octave stringaisaid bridgesbeing afiixed to said sounding board in spaced endWise relation and in substantial prolongationto each other and in close proximity throughout their length to the tuning pin .side of the plane of contact of said action'hammers V'Wlth said strings.

3711; In a -piano,ii'n combination, a frame, a resonator secured Within said frame, a string-plate secured to said frame, strings attached to said string plate, action hammers associated with saidistrings, and a string supporting bridge affixed to the forward Wall of said resonator in close proximity to and upon the tuning pin sidevonly of the plane -of contact of said action hannners with said. strings. a

12. In a piano, in. combination, av frame, a resonator secured within said frame, a string plate secured to said frame, strings attached to said string plate, action hanirners associated With said'strings, and a plurality of bridges for the, treble, central ture. i

.ANTON Gr. SULAK.

affix my signa- 

